Gor Mahia skipper Harun Shakava has predicted a very tough game against eternal rivals AFC Leopards SC.
The former Kakamega Homeboyz defender is however optimistic K’Ogalo will emerge victorious and in the progress pick his fourth straight as a captain against Ingwe.
The much-awaited Mashemeji Derby will take place on Sunday 22nd at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani. Despite expecting a tough clash, the Harambee Stars defender has urged his team-mates to rise to the occasion and aim for nothing short of victory against struggling Ingwe in the crunch tie fondly referred to as the Mashemeji Derby.
“I’m looking for a fourth successive win against the opponents as Gor Mahia FC captain. The victory has the potential to send us 12 points clear in the league,” said Shakava during a press conference in Nairobi on Friday.
Shakava insisted they are ready for the match despite the fact that the game comes barely 48 hours after hosting former Tanzanian champions, Yanga SC, in a CAF Confederations group contest at the venue on Wednesday evening.
“We have prepared well, the win against Yanga SC has also given us a morale booster. We feel we will win against Leopards on Sunday.” He says.
The defender says Gor is also motivated by the fact that George ‘Blackberry’ Odhiambo, Innocent Wafula and Ernest Wendo are all back in the squad after missing the CAF match.
“Odhiambo and Wendo had injuries while Wafula did not register for CAF, but their presence ahead of our meet with AFC has injected confidence in our club,” he highlighted.
While giving a hint of their game plan, Shakava said they will majorly control the match tempo as they know AFC Leopards are already under pressure to perform after going down against Gor in the last three meetings.
“Our other reason to control the game is that we have played so many matches this season resulting in general fatigue. But I’m glad that everyone in the team is capable of delivering, so there is no alarm even when the squad is rotated by the coach,” he emphasized.
Kerr’s men, who are on top of the table with 49 points after 19 matches, won their last derby against Ingwe, that was dubbed Hull City Challenge, 5-4 on post-match penalties at the Afraha Stadium in Nakuru on May 1st.
Leopards who have vowed to teach the defending SPL champions a lesson are currently in fifth place with 36 points after 22 matches. The 84th Mashemeji Derby was postponed in June to allow the SPL winners the chance to play English second division side, Hull City FC at Kasarani on May 13, 2018.
have won the Kenyan Premier League a record 16 times, three more than their arch-rivals A.F.C. Leopards, and have also won the FKF President’s Cup a record 10 times. They are the only team from Kenya and the CECAFAre gion to win an African continental title to date, having won the African Cup Winners’ Cup in 1987 after previously reaching the final in 1979.
The club was formally established on 17 February 1968 as a merger of Luo Union and Luo Sports Club (also known as Luo Stars) and won the national league at the first time of asking. Some of its original leaders were politicians Tom Mboya and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. However the club was founded much earlier, in the 1910s, and participated intermittently in local tournaments in Western Kenya. Various groups used this name at different times.
Gor Mahia Football Club was formally established on 17 February 1968 after the merging of Luo Union and Luo Sports Club. The club was named after a legendary medicineman from Kanyamwa, Ndhiwa, Homa Bay in Luo mythology, whose nickname was Gor Mahia (“mahia” is Luo for “magic”) because he was famous for performing magic. The club’s most famous nickname, K’Ogalo, also stems from the medicineman, whose full name was Gor Wuod Ogada nyakwar Ogalo (Gor son of Ogada grandson of Ogalo), and as such was known as Gor Makogalo, or Gor K’Ogalo in short, which means “Gor of Ogalo’s homestead”.